Hi! My name is Kristiina, and I am from Estonia.🌞🇪🇪
I love nature, walking, doing, and teaching yoga. Also, I like cooking, doing handcrafts, painting, being with my loved ones, and taking care of kids.🧘♀️🌳
I have studied economics at the University of Tartu, Estonia, and during my studies, I volunteered in an organisation, Tartu Student Days. In this organisation, we organised big student festivals two times a year and helped students to have a more stress-free life. This experience inspired me to do more voluntary work and be active in society.🏫📚
This week I started my ESC in Triggiano, Italy. I am excited to use my knowledge from my previous experiences to give my contribution to the local community.🙋🇮🇹
I believe that change comes from small actions. If everyone is doing something good, even a small thing for others, the world is already becoming a better place.
That is why I want to commit this year to doing good things for other people—to make my heart happy, other people happy, and make a positive impact in the world.💗
On my first day arriving in my new hometown, Triggiano, I was greeted by a lovely girl from France, Sarah, who became my new friend and the best roommate.
She showed me the local grocery store so I could buy breakfast for the next day and told me about life in general.
What a welcome! In addition, our host organization ordered pizza for us as a welcome treat—my first Italian pizza! It was amazing. Of course, my lactose intolerance put some limitations on the toppings, but even without cheese, the pizza was delicious.
The evening ended with a movie night, which has since become a lovely tradition for us.
The first week in my new home went by quickly, filled with activities and joy. I was blessed with wonderful roommates and great colleagues at the organization where I volunteered. During the first week, I learned to navigate the main streets of Triggiano.
I found out where the best shops were, where my organization’s office was, where to get good coffee, where Menza (a social restaurant where I started working a week later) was located, where to find the best focaccia in town, and where the town’s central square was. Although Triggiano is not a particularly large city by Italian standards, for me, as a girl from a small town, it felt a bit overwhelming at first.
My mentor gave me some ideas on where to take walks, so when the weekend arrived, I set out on a little adventure.
My days were filled with exploring and learning. During my first three weeks, I mainly worked in our organization’s office, helping to find collaborations for new projects.
This was incredibly exciting because Erasmus’s projects have given me so many opportunities. In addition to work, I also started attending Italian language courses twice a week at a public school. Since the course had started in October, we had to put in extra effort to catch up with the rest of the class.
Luckily, I had studied some Italian before coming here, which helped me quickly absorb new information and understand the teacher.
I also started a project called Little Readers at Capurso Elementary School, where I read English books to children and helped them learn the language.
The month in Triggiano flew by unbelievably fast. My days were filled with learning, exploring, and a passion for discovering new things. My head was bursting with new information, and it was quite exhausting. But every day began with excitement and joy.
Who knows where this journey will take me next? But these first few weeks have truly strengthened me, taught me valuable lessons, and shown me the love and care of people—both local and from back home—and the wonders and uniqueness of Italian culture and nature.
This month was full of different experiences—some challenging, some exciting—all part of settling into life here. The first two weeks were tough because I caught a virus and wasn’t feeling well. Luckily, I’ve recovered and feel much better now.
After that, I started new activities at Capurso school, and I really enjoy them. I’ve been reading books in English and helping the kids with reading, listening, and learning. We sometimes use creative methods—like making a fun game to help them learn the numbers from 1 to 100 in English. The children are so kind and affectionate; they’re always giving me hugs and drawing little pictures for me. It’s really heartwarming.
This was also my last month working in the office and supporting Eurosud with their tasks. It was a great learning experience, and I’m happy I got to understand more about how Erasmus projects and NGOs work. It gave me a better idea of what happens behind the scenes.
After my trip to Rome, I’ll begin new activities at the Bari Youth Centre—and I’m really looking forward to it!
This month also included some amazing trips. We visited Polignano, which was absolutely beautiful. We also went to Trani and experienced the colorful and fun Putignano Carnival. On top of that, I joined a few Erasmus events, met some great people, and made new connections.
Overall, it was a really good month. For the first time, I feel like I actually live here—not just like I’m on a long visit. And that feeling is truly amazing.
At the beginning of this month, we went to Rome—and it was amazing. The trip was part of our project, where we got to meet other volunteers and learn more about our rights, responsibilities, and possible opportunities for the future. I absolutely loved the city. The food was delicious, the people were kind and welcoming, and I even made new friends. The experience also gave me a fresh perspective and helped me start thinking more clearly about what I might want to do after this project ends.
I also began a new activity here in Bari at an afterschool program—and I really like it. I help the kids with their English homework, and afterwards we play together. Last week, we did Just Dance, which was super fun.
The activities in Capurso school are still very exciting for me. I’ve realized that I really enjoy working with kids—it makes me genuinely happy. And I’ve discovered that I love teaching, especially English. Even though I wasn’t always great at learning languages myself (it took time and effort), somehow I’ve ended up as an English teacher. Who would have thought? Life is full of surprises.
Overall, life is going really well. I truly enjoy being here, and I’ve learned so much in so many different areas. It’s been such a cool experience. Now that the weather is getting warmer, we’re hoping to go to the seaside more often—I really hope we can make that happen.
At the end of the month, I’ll be going home for a short visit, and I’m really looking forward to it. I miss my family, and a lot of them had birthdays recently, so we’ll be able to celebrate together. I can’t wait!
